Study shows eBay buyers save billions of dollars

[temi]

There is this report that eBay buyers save billions of dollars by purchasing on eBay,there was no mention of all the crapy and stolen goods being flogged on eBay, I wonder how much email paid the researches to produce the repot:

Buyers save billions of dollars each year bidding on eBay auctions, according to a new study that quantifies the benefits online consumers enjoy over and above what is derived by sellers, or eBay itself.
The independent research by two statisticians from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business found buyers saved $7 billion that they might have otherwise been ready to pay in a study of eBay auction behavior in 2003.
Applying the same analysis to 2004 buyer data, consumers saved $8.4 billion, said Wolfgang Jank, one author of the study. A linear projection of the research findings would mean consumers saved around $19 billion during 2007, Jank said.

full story: news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6227935.html

[gkd_uk]

I would agree with this story - Ebay can be a bargain for finding cheap products

[ewomack]

I think it depends on what's being auctioned - auctions have a tendency to become competitive and take on a "win at all costs" momentum. I've seen certain collectibles (i.e., coins, rare books) go for way more than I've seen them elsewhere. Though I think a great many bargains do exist on EBay, the notion that "things are cheaper on EBay" can cause a lot of people to get taken. It's just another market, in the end.

[xhan]

I dont trust ebay lol I'd never spend more than £20 and even then I buy from shops not people. I generally just buy wholesale jewellery supplies.

[SkinnerW]

I have been trading on eBay for about 5 years. Now it's getting harder to find good deals.
All major resellers have own stores on eBay and in some cases you can even find stuff cheaper elsewhere.